Swirling Rain
by Swirl Breeze
Summary: Swirl, a young she-cat, has run away from a terrible past. With her is her sister, Rain. Now they must find a new place to live, with no danger. But they have no Warrior training. What can they do when they meet ThunderClan? What can they do about the strange new Prophecy? Will they help the Clans, or destroy them?
1. Running

She kept on running, her paws sliding on the slippery, leafy ground. The pouring rain kept falling into her face, but she didn't dare stop. Dodging trees and bushes, the little cat ran, not looking behind her. Her blue-green eyes pierced the forest, searching for a quicker escape. Lightening flashed, sending a blinding white light racing across the sky. She fluffed her fur up, her fluffy tail whipping behind her. She could hear the distant sounds behind her, the yelling and strange clanking noise. Ignoring her pain and exhaustion, she continued.

Thunder rumbled and by another white flash, the cat could just see another figure racing beside her. Luminous purple-blue eyes peered at her through tiny slits. Terror ran through the cat's veins as she raced on. _I can't go back. I have to get out. I have to get out!_

* * *

Harsh sunlight penetrated the tree tops, sending harmful rays into the cat's eyes. _Ugh. _She flipped onto her back. Every bone in her body shrieked at the movement. _Why? It's been a moon! _She ignored her pain and straightened up, yawning widely. She glanced down.

"Ahhh!"

She leaped away from the branch she had been sleeping on and clung to the tree trunk with all four set of claws. Her heart pounded wildly as she slowly remembered where she was. Shaking, she returned to the branch. Her eyes searched the other branches above her head. Nothing. She looked down. _There! _On the branch below her, there was a little light gray cat. It was crouching, its tail tip nervously twitching from side to side.

Shaking her head, the blue-green eyed cat turned away. Sitting up, she turned her head to look at her pelt. _Filthy. _Her once shiny dark blue-gray coat was littered with twigs and leaves. Her swirling silver tabby markings were hidden and her fluffy tail was spikey. She quickly went to work, washing herself thoroughly.

_I hate this. _The blue-gray she-cat picked herself clean, starting at the base of her tail and working her way up. She licked her silver tabby marked paw when a voice nearly pushed her out of the tree.

"Swirl! Where are you?!"

Upon hearing her name, the blue-gray tabby, Swirl, leaned over her branch. The light gray she-cat below her was standing, her body swaying dangerously. Swirl twitched her ear. Not wanting to startle the cat, she meowed softly. "Rain. Up here."

Rain whipped her head up, her purple-blue eyes lighting up. "Swirl!" She immediately jumped to the tree trunk and climbed her way up. Swirl watched with concern. Rain finally reached the branch. Swirl padded up to her effortlessly. "Hi." Rain smiled. "Good morning."

Swirl gave her sister a quick lick on the ear. _Huh. She washed too. _Rain sat down heavily on the branch. Her face was disgusted. "How you could sleep so peacefully up here, I don't know." Swirl blinked. _Peacefully? _She protested. "It wasn't peaceful!" Rain's face took on a hurt expression. Swirl felt guilt. She shifted her paws. "I'm sorry I snapped."

Rain remained silent. Swirl felt a twinge of annoyance for her sister. _Why is she always so… sweet? _Swirl shook her head. "Come on. We have to get down."

Swirl concentrated on the branch below her. Bunching up her muscles, she leaped. Horror raced through her as she missed the limb by a whisker. "No!" Swirl shrieked as her body flew downward. "Swirl!" Rain's cry was loud. Swirl flailed, leaves whipping into her face and body. Her forepaw slammed into something and Swirl dig in her claws. Her body came to a shuddering stop. "Ahh!" Swirl yowled in pain. Her paw felt as if it was on fire. _I think I broke something._

"SWIRL!" Rain's voice was up high. Swirl reached for the branch with her other paw. "Rain! Help me!" Swirl missed it. _I can't reach it! _She started to panic. _Calm down. Think of a solution! _Swirl looked around. No other branches were close enough. She looked up. The branches were too high and Rain was just a gray smudge. Swirl knew she only had one choice. _I can't believe I'm doing this. _She let go.

Swirl felt the falling sensation wrap around her as she violently twisted in mid-air. The ground was racing towards her. Swirl straightened her legs. "Omph!" The impact made Swirl crash on the ground, her body crushing her own legs. She lay there without moving, groaning in pain. "Ow." Her eyes closed, she could make out sounds.

Scraping noises were followed by a light thud, and then running pawsteps. "Swirl? Are you okay?" Rain's voice was much closer now, and Swirl felt a cool nose nudge her shoulder. She flicked her tail to show her sister she was still alive.

"Come on Swirl, get up." Rain grabbed her scruff in her mouth. "I'll help you." Her words were muffled. Swirl blinked open her eyes. Green undergrowth was patterned with sunlight. "Okay…" She shakily stood up. Rain let go of her scruff and started looking at her with questioning eyes. "Can you walk?" Swirl sighed. "I have to." She took one step before falling to the ground. "OW!" Swirl stood before Rain could help. Her paw was throbbing; no weight could be put on it yet. She held it under herself, protecting it. She growled to herself. "I'll be fine." Limping, Swirl headed for the trees. Rain followed, silent.

After glancing at the sun, Swirl guessed it was on its way to noon. She stopped when her stomach growled. Rain obliviously heard. "You're hungry. I am too."

Swirl turned to face her. "I can't hunt though. Neither can you." She narrowed her eyes to the forest. No prey was in sight. Swirl gave up. "We'll just have to keep going until we find something." Rain nodded. Swirl began to think.

_Where can we go? I need to keep her safe! _Memories of the night they ran kept tumbling back into her mind. _We have to get far away from there! _A small voice popped into Swirl's mind. _You are already a moon's journey away. Why won't you stop and settle here? _Swirl kept walking. _Because there could be rogues or housecats again. _But confusion clouded her thoughts. _Should we really stop? _

Swirl glanced at her sister. Rain's eyes were very bright, an awful attempt at trying to conceal her fatigue. The sunshine illuminated the unnatural light blue raindrops dotting Rain's right eye. Swirl knew she had her own light blue mark, a swirl, on her left eye. She blamed the Humans. _Why would they do this? What are we, some kind of experiment?! _Swirl sagged her shoulders in defeat. She stopped and looked right at the light gray she-cat. "Rain, we have to stop. Here." Rain perked her ears straighter.

"Yes!" She sat and swished her gray tail. "I don't see any cats, this is a perfect place!" Swirl tipped her head. "We're only staying for now. We-"

A snarl interrupted her. Swirl whirled around, her fur fluffed up and tail held high. Rain arched her back, although her eyes glittered with fear. Swirl searched the tree bases, searching for the source of the sound. She found it. A fox, clearly young and eager for a fight, was creeping its way towards them, slowly. Its ginger fur gleamed brightly in the light, and its teeth were bared.

Swirl swallowed her fear and hissed. The fox stopped. Then it noticed the way Swirl was keeping her paw off the ground. Yelping in excitement, it leaped. Swirl jumped up, landing on the fox's back. It howled loudly as she bit its ear. Using her hind claws, Swirl madly slashed at whatever was in front of her. Growling in fury, the fox shook her off. Swirl hit the ground, hearing Rain yowl in terror. She struggled to get up, only to be pinned by teeth tearing into her shoulder. Swirl let out a cry of agony.

She slashed at the fox's muzzle, feeling its nose slice open. Whining in pain, the fox let go and stumbled off of her. Swirl fell to the ground again, her body aching. She watched with wide eyes as Rain head-butted the fox's side. It swung its head and sank its teeth into Rain's spine. Swirl screeched. "No!" Rain was yelling in pain and the fox was shaking its head from side to side. Swirl raced to her sister. Fury bubbled inside her as she jumped onto the fox's face. "Let. Go. Of. My. Sister!" She ripped at the eyes, nose, snout, whatever she could get hold of. Rain went flying as she was torn loose. Swirl glanced her way only to have a heavy paw slam her to the ground. Her head made a thud that echoed in Swirl's head, leaving her senseless and dizzy. Through narrowed eyes, she could make out the fox looming over her.

_No… No! _Swirl gave a last cry of terror. Glancing behind the fox, Swirl thought she could see shadows racing towards her. _What- _

The world went black.


	2. Encounters

"I have never seen anything like it…"

"… blue marks…"

"StarClan… twolegs."

Swirl blinked open her eyes. _Where am I? _Her eyes slowly came into focus. Shadows moved and twisted before her eyes. Colors, vivid greens and browns swam and bent like rippling water. Swirl focused on her paw in front of her and the world slowly came to a stop.

She looked up. "Whoa." Three cats, all very much bigger than her, were staring at her. One was a brown tabby with amber eyes, another was a golden tabby with a similar shade of amber, and the last was a light gray tabby with cloudy blue eyes. Swirl stared back with her mouth open a little. The brown tabby dipped its massive head slightly. It spoke. Without getting up, she didn't think she could, she snarled. "Does it matter? How do I know whether to trust you?" To her surprise, the golden tabby started to laugh. "She's a sharp one!"

Swirl kept glancing back and forth between the toms. She wanted an answer to her question. "Well?" The brown tabby smiled. "Well for starters," he began, "we did rescue you and the other kitten." _The other kitten? _Swirl felt her eyes widen. _Rain! _Her memory came flooding back. _The fox! _

The brown cat took notice of Swirl's unease. His eyes held sympathy. "Don't worry, the other one is all right. Now, can you please tell us your name?" Swirl sighed. She analyzed the group.

_They haven't shown any hostility. Yet. The brown one is sympathetic, and the golden one is carefree. But what about the gray one? He hasn't said a word. _Swirl took a quick look at him. He was staring at her, yet she noticed that his eyes were cloudy. _He's blind! _Swirl decided to take a chance and tell them her name. _It wont hurt to tell them, right? _

Swirl struggled to sit up, her body trembling with the effort. She opened her mouth. "My name is Swirl."

The gray tom flicked his tail tip. The brown one shot him a look that Swirl felt sure the gray one could feel. The brown tabby looked back at her. "Greetings Swirl. My name is Bramblestar. This-" he flicked his tail to the golden tom, "is Lionblaze." His tail pointed to the gray tom. "And this is Jayfeather." Swirl blinked a few times. _Lion-what? BrambleSTAR? Weird. _Swirl decided to play it cool and act composed. _Maybe I can escape and look for Rain. _

Swirl dipped her head in return. "Hello." She noticed Jayfeather narrow his eyes. _What's gotten into him? _She straightened. She spoke to Bramblestar, who seemed like the leader of the group. "Where am I? And where is my sister?"

The golden tom, Lionblaze, spoke before Bramblestar could. "You're in ThunderClan's territory. Swirl tipped her head to the side. "Thunder-what?" Lionblaze scoffed. "ThunderClan." Swirl shook her head. _He's mad._

Bramblestar looked at Lionblaze. "She obliviously hasn't heard of the Clans. Leave her be." _Clans? Are there more ThunderClans? _

Swirl stared at her paws. Then she noticed blood. Twisting her head, she strained to see her back. Pain shot through her and she flopped onto her side. She couldn't stifle a whimper. Jayfeather padded up to her. She staggered away from him. He blinked. "I'm here to help you. Not to harm you." Swirl let her unease show. "Then why do you say it like it's an insult?"

She could hear Lionblaze hiding a laugh and a "…found an equal match." Swirl ignore him as Jayfeather brought his face down to her level. His eyes blazed blue fire. "Do you want medicine or not?" Swirl hissed into his face. _Leave me alone! I don't need your help! _But she held her tongue. Jayfeather kept staring at her for a few more seconds. Swirl lifted her injured paw of the ground. Jayfeather backed away, his face thoughtful. Swirl relaxed slightly.

Jayfeather turned to Bramblestar, who had been watching with curious eyes. "She's exhausted physically, but definitely not mentally." Bramblestar smiled. He looked at the ground. Swirl lay down again. _Ugh. I do need help. I'm hurt. _But she refused to say it out loud. Lionblaze walked over to her. She gave him a wary look. He sighed.

"Look, if we had wanted to hurt you, we wouldn't have left you alone with the fox." He picked her up by the scruff before she could complain. Swirl gave up resisting. Bramblestar and Jayfeather followed them.

Swirl glanced around her. Trees grew tall here, with their leaves falling onto the ground. She felt panic again. "Where are you taking me?" Lionblaze growled through fur. "ThunderClan's camp, kit. Where else?" Swirl nodded. She realized something and hissed. "I'm not a kit."

Swirl saw something different in the undergrowth ahead. _A bramble thicket? _Bramble bushes were surrounding something ahead. Swirl felt curiosity bubble inside her. _Is this the camp? _Swirl ducked her head and flattened her ears as Lionblaze carried her through a narrow tunnel. Swirl squinted her eyes against the bright sunshine at the opening. She carefuly opened her eyes.

_Wow! _Below her was a stony hollow, with ivy and little crevices hidden in the sides. The wall were she had come through was shorter than the others. If she should fall from those walls, she would surely die. Swirl looked around. Cats were everywhere, walking and mingling around. She could see tortoiseshells, tabby, and smudges of gray and white.

Swirl felt annoyed that Lionblaze wouldn't let her down. Sure she was exhausted, but she wanted to look around! Swirl continued to look. They were headed toward a crevice in the wall, with brambles draped over it, concealing it a little. Swirl was carried through.

Lionblaze lay her down in a nest made of soft moss. Swirl lay on her side, not bothering to sit. Jayfeather hurried to a hole in the far end of the small den. He disappeared. Bramblestar followed him. Swirl spotted a small pool of clean water and more nests around her. They were all empty. Except for one. Swirl felt excitement in her belly. _Rain!_

Her sister was curled up, sticky cobwebs dressing her fur and her tail. Swirl could see she was asleep, and she didn't want to wake her. Swirl turned upon hearing Jayfeather return. He carried cobwebs and a herb in his mouth. He sat beside Swirl's nest and started to lick her fur. Swirl let him. His steady tongue was making her drowsy, and her eyes began to close.

"Swirl." She struggled to open them. Bramblestar was looking at her. "Please, you must tell us where you and your sister came from." Before Swirl could speak, Jayfeather retaliated. "She's weak from fatigue and needs some rest! You can ask her later." Swirl hissed. "I can speak for myself." Jayfeather bared his teeth and lashed his tail. "Very well." Swirl gritted her teeth as Jayfeather purposefully applied a cobweb too hard on a wound.

Swirl looked right at Bramblestar, where he stood, waiting. She took a deep breath. "It started about a moon ago." _How can I say this?_


	3. Past

**The light blue marks will be explained later on in the story.**

_How can I say this? _Swirl paused in her story. _But I have to. There is no other option. Maybe they can help us. _Swirl continued.

"Rain and I were playing together. We didn't understand what was happening. Venom, our father, told us we were going to be moving somewhere. Somewhere far away."

Lionblaze interrupted her. "Far away? Away from your old home?" Swirl nodded. "We used to live peacefully in a small patch of woods, near some human houses." Swirl saw that Bramblestar looked confused. Swirl explained. "You know, humans? The big creatures that have no fur?" Bramblestar's confused expression cleared. "Ah, you mean twolegs." _Yeah ok sure, twolegs._

Swirl cleared her throat. "Well, one day the hu- uh I mean _twolegs _came searching the woods. My father tried to protect us, but the twolegs forced him away from us. Rain and I were almost separated but I refused to let her out of my sight."

Swirl recalled the promise she made to her father. _Promise to look out for your sister. I can't lose you two after what happened to your mother. Promise me, Swirl. Promise! _Swirl shook her fur.

"We were trapped and placed into cages, these small little dens. Venom was next to us. He tried to comfort us." Swirl stared into space, not even aware of the cats listening.

"We were taken into a monster, you know those things right? Anyway, the twolegs took us with some other trapped kittens into a big twoleg den. They called it a laboratory." Swirl started shaking. Lionblaze lay his tail gently on her shoulder. She was grateful for his silent support. She continued on in her dreadful tale.

"The twolegs kept Rain and I together." Tears glittered in Swirl's blue-green eyes. "But Venom… he tried to help us escape. The twolegs…" Swirl let her sentence trail off. The silence spoke for itself. "He's gone."

"The twolegs injected us with something. A sharp, pointy thing, with bright blue liquid." Bramblestar blinked. Swirl didn't stop. "After that, everything changed." Swirl hesitated to tell them. _I have to! _

"All the kittens in the cages next to us started behaving weird. Including me. We started getting these bright blue marks on our faces." Swirl paused to lift a paw at her swirl on her right eye. "They don't wash out." Bramblestar only nodded. Swirl kept going.

"Many of us started acting even more strangely. I guess we were getting… more intelligent." Swirl knew she sounded unscientific but she was telling the truth. "We, at least _I_, started thinking differently." Jayfeather interrupted. "What does differently mean, exactly?"

She bristled at his tone. "I mean, that I started thinking more logically, thinking of solutions. If one thing didn't work out, I immediately thought of a different solution. You can't make the same mistake twice."

Bramblestar narrowed his eyes. "Can you give us an example of a solution you thought of? Recently?" Swirl scrunched up her face in concentration. _When did I…? This morning! _She smiled triumphantly. "This morning. I slept in a tree, to get away from other animals, and I had to get down. I jumped to a branch below me, except that I misjudged the jump. I fell, but I caught hold of a branch with my paw." Swirl held out the injured paw. "I was going to slip, so I thought of my first solution: try to reach the branch with both paws. I couldn't reach the branch though. So I thought of my second solution: look for other nearby branches. First I looked around me. Nothing. Then above me. Nothing. So, there was only one other solution."

Jayfeather huffed. "Let me guess." Swirl twitched her whiskers. "I let go." Bramblestar nodded. "It explains why you are hostile one second and accepting the next. You were analyzing us." Swirl swallowed nervously. "Yes."

Bramblestar dipped his head, his face expressionless. "Please, continue." Swirl nodded. "I noticed that I got smarter in one specific topic: problem-solving. I was quick in solving problems that were impossible to me before. Pretty soon, I learned how to unlatch my cage. I escaped."

Swirl took a moment to glance at her sister. She was still sleeping.

"But Rain was no different. She was exactly the same. The only thing that changed was the marks on her face." Lionblaze was lost in thought. Swirl gritted her teeth. "I got Rain out, but I couldn't let the others out. The twolegs were coming."

Swirl's eyes widened in terror as she remembered the night. "We ran. We were nearly caught, but I kept distracting the twolegs while Rain looked for an escape route. We escaped into a forest and ran. We didn't go back." Swirl looked up at the cats. "We ran for a full moon. We need a home, somewhere with no twolegs, with no laboratories." Swirl hung her head in defeat. "But I've failed. Everywhere we go, there are rogues or housecats that threaten us. And you will do the same." Swirl glanced up with fear in her eyes.

Bramblestar was looking at her with shock, Lionblaze was confused, and Jayfeather was unreadable. Swirl swallowed. "That's it."

_What will they do to me now? They know. They know I'm dangerous! _Swirl looked to Bramblestar. "What will you do to us now?" He shook his head. "Nothing yet. You and your sister, Rain I think, need to recover. We will discuss what to do then."

He turned and padded out of the den. Lionblaze followed him. Before reaching the entrance, he winked at Swirl. "For now, welcome to ThunderClan." He turned and went out. Swirl blinked. _ThunderClan._

Jayfeather padded over to her again. She was tired of being hostile. She let it go. He wordlessly treated her shoulder wound and paw, wrapping it in a leaf with some straw to tie it together. She was grateful since she couldn't feel the pain anymore. "Thank you Jayfeather." He grunted and left the den.

Swirl closed her eyes. _Well, that was exhausting. _She was tired and yet, she felt happy. _Rain is here. She's going to be ok. She has to be. _Swirl decided to try and sleep. _Nothing is going to happen to me. _Her thoughts were fading. _Happen to me. Happen… me. He said yet! _Swirl recalled the conversation she had with Bramblestar. _"What will you do to us now?" "Nothing yet." Yet. _Swirl felt fear course through her. _Can I really trust these cats?_

* * *

A light thud woke Swirl. She instantly popped her head up, looking around wildly for the attacker. Instead, she saw a wall of fluffy gray fur. _Jayfeather. _He prodded the mouse with his paw closer to her. "Here. Eat." Swirl blinked. _Free food? _She smiled slightly. "Thanks." She crouched to eat. She could sense Jayfeather sitting near her. She began to feel curious.

"Jayfeather?" Swirl was cautious. She wasn't the only one with a sharp tongue. He faced her. Swirl continued. "What are you?" He sagged his shoulders. "Well… judging by my four legs and tail, I'd say I'm a cat." Swirl didn't even bother to bare her teeth. She elaborated.

"I meant, what are you, as in what is your role in this little society?" Nothing. Swirl rolled her eyes. "You seem to hate me and yet, you are the one caring for me. You want to explain to me why you are healing me if you don't want to?"

Jayfeather bristled. His voice came out sharp. "I'm a medicine cat. It's my job to heal you." Swirl huffed. "Yeah and you're just the cat to do it." Swirl blinked in surprise as Jayfeather barged up into her face. "Would you prefer to do it?" Swirl faced him, feeling her fear melt into anger. "If it means helping others faster, then yes!" Satisfaction quickly turned to horror. Swirl stumbled back. _What am I doing? This isn't me! I'm not this mean or cruel! _Jayfeather leaned back. He was muttering. Swirl perked her ears to hear him. "…not like others."

He shot her a look that Swirl couldn't decipher. "Eat." He turned to his nest and curled into a tight ball. Swirl turned her attention to the mouse. It was nice and fat, a treat for it was getting to be chilly in autumn. She quickly consumed her meal.

Swirl looked at the entrance. It was shining with warm golden light. _Sunset. _Swirl wondered when was the last time she had paused to wonder at sunsets. _Not for a long time. _A small smile crept across her face. Turning slowly, Swirl curled up and drifted off to sleep.


	4. Acquaintances

Moonlight crept into the den. Swirl struggled to open her eyes. They were still heavy with sleep. _What woke me? _She shook her head, trying to force herself awake. Not wanting to move, she looked around. _Jayfeather? _The gray tom was still in a ball, but he was twitching. Swirl felt concern.

"Jayfeather?" she hissed. Nothing. No answer. _Should I wake him? _Swirl thought she heard him mutter something. _He speaks in his sleep? _Swirl leaned forward, trying to hear him better. His next words transformed her blood to ice.

"Destroy the clans. Swirling Rain…" Swirl's eyes widened in fear. _Swirling rain? Destroy the clans? _She huddled in her nest, fighting back panic. A single word kept popping into her mind. _Swirling. Swirling. Swirling. _She shivered.

* * *

Swirl felt a paw on her side. She immediately woke, her heart racing fast. Purple-blue eyes looked back at her. "Swirl!" Rain was sitting beside her. Swirl felt relief. "Rain! You're ok!" Rain nodded. She flicked her tail.

"I'm a little sore. And my spine really hurts. You?" Swirl swallowed. "I'll be ok. It's my paw and shoulder that hurt the most." Rain was fidgeting. "I really want to go outside, but I don't want to go alone." Swirl looked behind her sister. Strong sunlight shone outside the den. _How long was I asleep? _

Rain prodded her again with her paw. "If you're not too tired, we can sneak out." Swirl glanced at Jayfeather's nest. He wasn't there. "What about him?" Swirl faced Rain. She shrugged. "Jayfeather left early this morning." Swirl narrowed her eyes. _She knows his name. She must have met the others already. _

Rain stared at her, annoyed. "You've got to stop doing that to me!" Swirl blinked. "Sorry." Rain nodded. "So, let's go." Swirl huffed. _I need to rest but I want to go… let's just do it. _Swirl heaved herself to her three working paws. Her forepaw, the injured one, was kept hanging. Swirl tilted her head a little. _I don't think it's broken. _

Swirl followed her sister out of the den. "Wow!" Rain was whipping her head back and forth, trying to see the entire camp all at the same time. Swirl smiled a little. Since she had already seen the camp, she knew what to expect. She limped to the sidewall. Rain followed.

_Where to go… _Swirl spotted a tree in the middle of the clearing, unusually black. _It must have caught fire before. _She looked for other cats. She couldn't see any. _Ok, where are they? _Swirl limped forward again. Rain spoke.

"Hey Swirl?" She swiveled around. "Yeah?" Rain sat down. "What are we going to do?" Swirl thought hard about her question. _What can we do? _"Rain, I honest-" Paw steps interrupted her. _What now? _Swirl turned.

"Lionblaze." The golden tabby walked up to the sisters. "Hello Swirl, Rain." Rain dipped her head and Swirl copied her. _Why so polite? _Lionblaze's eyes gleamed. "You sure you should be out here?" Swirl sighed. _What are we, kits? _She looked up at him. "We're older than we look. We're not kits." Rain hissed at her. "What are you doing? Don't get him mad!" He smiled. "Then how old are you?" Swirl sniffed and stood up taller. "7 moons." Lionblaze didn't change his expression.

"You two are about the same age as my kits." Swirl blinked. _Lionblaze has kits? _He started to walk away. "Come with me, I'll introduce you to them." Swirl exchanged a look with her sister. _Should we? _Rain shrugged again. _It's your choice. _Swirl nodded. "Let's go."

Slowly, Swirl limped over to the hole in one of the hollow's walls where Lionblaze sat. Brambles overgrow the entrance to the cave, offering protection. Lionblaze called into the hole.

"Frostpaw, Woodpaw, Robinpaw, come out. You have visitors." Swirl watched the entrance. Soon, a white she-cat with gray tail tip, ear tips, and two front paws came rushing out. Her eyes were a clear blue, and they were filled with excitement. Swirl noticed that they were almost the same height, the white cat only being a mousetail higher. _She's about a moon older. _She spotted the sisters and let out a small squeak. Swirl knew she had seen her blue mark. The white cat quickly moved out of the way. _She's energetic. _Another cat, a light brown tabby tom, popped out. His eyes were a light green, calm and still. Even after seeing Swirl and Rain, his face remained the same. Swirl was confused. _Is he afraid of us? _He moved. _He's calm. _Swirl focused her attention on the entrance once again. A black tom emerged, his face scrunched up in annoyance. He had brilliant blue eyes, with a smudge of light gray on his chest. He held his head up high and narrowed his eyes upon seeing Swirl and Rain. Swirl narrowed her eyes right back at him. _He's arrogant._

Lionblaze curled his tail around his paws. He purred. "Meet my kits." The black tom hissed at his father. "We are not kits!" Lionblaze ignored him. The white she-cat jumped up. "Hi. I'm Frostpaw." Rain nodded. The brown one dipped his head. "I'm Woodpaw." Swirl nodded. The black one spat. "Robinpaw." Swirl flicked her tail. _Defiantly arrogant._

She stood up, swaying a bit on her three paws. She swallowed and cleared her throat. She looked at the three cats in their eyes. "I'm Swirl. This is my sister, Rain."

The white cat, Frostpaw, tipped her head. "Swirl? Rain? So you aren't clan cats?" Before Swirl reply, Robinpaw hissed at his sister. "Well, obviously! Their names aren't like ours so no! They aren't clan cats!" Swirl bared her teeth. _I'm sick of others speaking for me! _Rain spoke, her voice quiet and peaceful. "No, we aren't clan cats. What are the clans?"

Lionblaze stood up. "I'll leave you all together then." He padded away. Woodpaw spoke. "We could bring you to the elders. They are better at story telling then we are." He smiled warmly at the sisters. Swirl felt annoyed again. _Bring us? We can bring ourselves! _Rain nodded vigorously. "Yes please!"

Frostpaw signaled them with her tail. "Follow me!" She whipped around and ran to the other side of the clearing, jumping over the tree. Woodpaw began to walk, but then slowed his stride when he saw Swirl and Rain struggle. "Do you need help?" Swirl thought about his offer. "No, thanks." He nodded but stayed by her side. Robinpaw scoffed and followed behind them.

Swirl soon found herself at the base of the tree. _How do I… _Rain gathered her hunches and leaped. She straightened her back and let out a cry of pain as she slammed into the tree. Woodpaw jumped up beside her. Swirl watched her sister with worry. Woodpaw gently nudged Rain, pushing her off the tree. Swirl decided to play it safe. She walked up to the tree but was pushed aside by a black pelt.

"Hey!" She glared at Robinpaw. He glared back at her and jumped onto the top of the tree. Woodpaw was watching them. He nodded encouragement. Swirl pushed herself to her paws. Reaching out with her claws, she grabbed hold of the tree. Slowly, Swirl reached the top. There, she leaped, and landed onto the ground on the other side. Woodpaw landed behind her. Swirl limped on.

Frostpaw disappeared into a honeysuckle bush. Rain and Robinpaw followed her. Swirl hurried to meet them. Ducking her head, she stepped into a den, with five elderly cats inside. A plump tabby was sleeping, stretched out on his side. A long-haired gray tom and pale ginger she-cat were grooming themselves, while a dark brown tabby tom watched. Another cat, a black tom with a brown underbelly, sat, eating a mouse. Frostpaw walked up to the gray tom.

"Hello Graystripe. Hello Sandstorm." The two elders glanced up at Frostpaw. "Frostpaw! Hello. I didn't think you'd be stuck in camp today!" The pale ginger she-cat spoke. Frostpaw blushed slightly. "My one day of rest." She sat down. "We've got visitors." Sandstorm leaned past Frostpaw to see Swirl and Rain. She blinked.

"Well, visitors indeed." Swirl padded forward. Something told her to hold her tongue around this she-cat. Her green eyes were sharp and intelligent. Swirl spoke. "Hello." Woodpaw walked behind the sisters. "This is Rain and Swirl." The elders looked at the light blue marks. The brown tabby spoke.

"What's on your faces?" Rain faced him. "The humans did it to us." The tom was clearly confused. "Humans?" Swirl spoke. "Twolegs." He nodded. "They're all vile." Sandstorm shifted. "Dustpelt, please. Don't offend them. They could be kittypets." The gray tom stared at Swirl. "Are you a kittypet?" _Kittypet? _"What?"

The gray one rolled his eyes. "The cats who live with twolegs." Swirl felt disgusted. _As if I could be one! _She shook her head fast. "No, I'm not. I'm a rogue." _They must know what rogues are. _Thankfully he nodded. Robinpaw coughed, bored. Woodpaw took over.

"Swirl, Rain, these are the elders: Sandstorm, Graystripe, Dustpelt, Spiderleg, and Purdy." Swirl nodded.

The gray tom, Graystripe, spoke again. "What are you two doing in ThunderClan?" Frostpaw answered. "They were attacked by a fox. They need to recover." Swirl was shocked. _How does she… _Frostpaw winked. "My father told us what had happened. Most of the clan knows by now."

Swirl felt embarrassment churn in her belly. _Well… that totally ruins my reputation. _She could see Rain hiding a blush. Frostpaw kept talking to the elders. "We were told to tell them about the clans." She whispered loudly. "They don't know what they are." She exaggerated a shocked gasp at her own words. Woodpaw stifled a _mrrow _of laughter. Swirl twitched an ear.

The black tom with amber eyes spoke for the first time. "We can tell them." His eyes were very bright. "I suspect your mentors have jobs for you." Robinpaw jumped to his paws, his tail held high. "So we can leave?" Graystripe gave him a nod.

Robinpaw darted out of the den without another word. Frostpaw followed her brother. Woodpaw dipped his head to the elders and turned to his siblings. He glanced back at Rain and Swirl. "Nice meeting you two." He left.

Swirl focused on the black tom, Spiderleg. His voice was scratchy. "So, you two want to know about the clans?" Rain nodded. "Yes please." Spiderleg took a deep breath. "Get comfortable. This will take a while." Swirl lay down, easing her paw in front of her, gently. Rain copied her. Spiderleg started. "Before I was born, a great leader named Bluestar heard of a prophecy from StarClan…"

* * *

Swirl was entranced. Spiderleg finished his long story. "Bramblestar accepted his role after Firestar and made Squirrelflight his deputy." Swirl was confused. "Squirrelflight? After what she did?" Graystripe nodded from his place. "She did what she thought was best." Rain yawned.

Spiderleg noticed. "You two must be tired, and hungry." Swirl didn't respond. He sighed. "Very well. You two may go now." Rain got up without any more ushering. Swirl hobbled after her sister. She could hear Spiderleg muttering to the other elders. "Kits." _I'm not a kit!_

Swirl headed to what she now knew what was the medicine cat's den. Thoughts raced in her head, thoughts about the four clans, StarClan, and Firestar. How Firestar had defeated Tigerstar and won the Dark Forest Battle. Swirl almost stopped short when she thought of something. _Destroy the Clans. Swirling Rain. _Jayfeather's ominous words bounced in her mind.

_How long will this peace last?_


	5. Recovering

_ Geez, he's angrier than usual. _Jayfeather stormed into his den, his tail lashing from side to side, an obvious indication that something was bothering him. Swirl watched him with wary eyes, trying to figure him out. _I can't let my guard down. He can't know of what we mean to do. _Swirl went over what she had shared with her sister earlier that morning.

_Rain was staring at her, mortified. "But Swirl, we cant!" Swirl shook her head. "We have to get out of here, we must! You understand me, don't you?" Rain reluctantly nodded, her fur bristling in unease. Her purple-blue eyes begged her sister to stay._

_ "Swirl, everyone here is so nice and they are treating us well. They're helping us! Why don't we just stay here?" Swirl felt frustration wrap itself around her. "Because they don't want us! We are rogues, we are used to being alone. No one likes us as we are and we must stay away." Rain looked at her with anger, fire burning in her normally peaceful eyes. "You mean no one likes __**you**__. I've done nothing but follow you, yet you always lead us to nowhere!" Rain stared directly in her sister's eyes. "You make your choice and I'll make mine. I'm staying here until I recover, then I will leave if they don't want me to stay. You can go alone."_

Swirl snapped back to the present. _How dare she? I'm trying to protect her! Father told me to! _Swirl shook her head in anger. _No. Block myself. Jayfeather can't know of this. _She knew of Jayfeather's powers, after hearing the tale of the Three from the elders. She clouded her mind.

Jayfeather returned from his herb supply stock, cobwebs and marigold in his mouth. Swirl knew the names well enough; she had been here that long. _It's been days! I'm fine, just let me go! _The light gray tabby dropped his cargo, then spoke.

"Where's Rain?" Swirl shrugged. _Probably mooning over Woodpaw again. _"At the fresh-kill pile." _I don't know. _Jayfeather nodded. "Let me see your wounds." Swirl obediently lay on her side, revealing her wounded shoulder. Jayfeather removed the old cobwebs and sniffed it. He leaned back. "It's nearly healed completely. You are almost recovered." He leaned down again, his nose in her face. "How do you feel?"

Swirl rolled her eyes. _Extremely annoyed! _"Fine. Energetic. Yay." She stuck out her paw. "It's just this paw." Jayfeather sighed. "If you just stood still, that paw would be healed by now. Swirl protested. "But I've stayed in this stupid den for days!" It was true. Only Rain had gone in and out. But Swirl let her go. She didn't care.

Jayfeather blinked. "Maybe resting isn't helping. The muscles are weak, you need to walk again." Swirl's shoulders sagged. _Make me rest, make me walk, make up your mind! _She nodded. "Alright. I'll go then." _Maybe I can go today! _Jayfeather's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything. He just nodded. Swirl happily bounced up, ignore the sharp prick of pain in her paw.

Without any other words, Swirl charged out of the den, and into the main clearing. _Huh. Chilly._

Her paw, though it throbbed harshly, seemed to be able to hold Swirl's weight. She padded forward, looking for something to do. She saw the apprentices' den, and she crept forward, her paws making no noise. She could hear faint conversation.

"Seriously? But how could they do that? And how can it do that to your face?" Swirl ducked under the brambles and entered the den. Her eyes widened. Rain was sitting and talking to 7 older cats, including Frostpaw and her littermates. Swirl caught Woodpaw's eye and he flicked his tail to welcome her in. Rain didn't bother to greet her sister.

An unfamiliar she-cat, her pale ginger fur shining in the dim light, spotted Swirl. She spoke. "You must be Rain's sister. Hi. I'm Amberpaw." _Amberpaw. The name fits. _Swirl noticed her eyes were a warm shade of amber. She dipped her head. "Swirl." The other cats, apprentices, also dipped their heads, not including Robinpaw. Swirl nodded to all of them at once. One by one, they introduced themselves.

"I'm Dewpaw." _Male, gray and white, amber eyes. _

"I'm Snowpaw." _Male, white, amber eyes._

"I'm Lilypaw." _Female, dark tabby with white spots, blue eyes._

Swirl felt dizzy, her head filled with all these strange new names. She noticed that she immediately analyzed the group. _Ugh, I have to stop doing that! _She smiled at them, her temper fading at the cheery group. _They seem nice. _Lilypaw fidgeted in her nest. "Why do you have a different mark than Rain?" Swirl looked at her sister. _She must have told them everything! _She shook her head and faced Lilypaw. "I don't know. The twolegs did it."

Frostpaw stood and padded over to Swirl's side. Her blue eyes were friendly. "Have you met some of the warriors yet?" Swirl shook her head again. "No, Jayfeather just let me leave his den today." A sigh was heard from Amberpaw. "He is such a furball. Always annoying and angry." Swirl found herself nodding.

Woodpaw walked over to his sister, his tail held high. "We could show you around, introduce you." Swirl nodded. _Sure. _Frostpaw flicked her fluffy tail. "Great! Come with me." Swirl followed, noticing that Rain stayed behind. Just before leaving the den, Swirl felt the need to look behind her so she quickly turned her head back, surprised to find Woodpaw's eyes on her own. He flinched and avoided her gaze, his fur bristling. Swirl continued out of the den. _Ok… that was weird. _

Frostpaw led Swirl through the camp, and over the burnt tree. Swirl remembered what had happened here from the elder's story. _Firestar… _Frostpaw didn't notice and carried on. She stopped before the crumbling hill of rocks, a small path noticeable. Swirl knew what this was. _Highledge. _Frostpaw sniffed. "Sometimes warriors come here to talk. If some come to rest here, I'll introduce you." Swirl nodded. _As long as it's not Jayfeather, I'm fine. _

Swirl saw few cats in the camp. She knew that they were probably on patrol or out hunting. _That must be fun, knowing that you have others to watch out for you in the forest. _Her ears dipped a bit and she stared hard at the ground. _They're like one big family. _Swirl felt a snarl creep across her face. _Family. Huh. I wouldn't know from my own._

"Well, hello." Swirl jerked her head up, startled by the voice. _Oh. Female, silver and white, blue eyes. _Swirl mentally shook herself again. _I really have got to stop it! _Swirl looked closely at the larger cat in front of her. The silver and white tabby was blinking in surprise, her clear blue eyes sharp and intelligent. Swirl dipped her head, adjusted to the clan's custom way of greeting. "Hello." Frostpaw jumped up, ears perked up straight. "Hi Ivypool!"

_Ivypool… _The tabby, Ivypool, smiled. "Hello Frostpaw. Aren't you supposed to be out on a hunting patrol right now?" Frostpaw shook her head. "Nope! Bramblestar ordered all apprentices to rest today. Weird but I was just going 'yes yes yes' so I'm glad." Swirl smirked at the white cat's blabbering. Ivypool, surprisingly, did the same. She turned her head to face Swirl. "You must be Swirl, Rain's sister." Swirl nodded. _How does she know me? _In answer to her mental question, Ivypool spoke: "Everyone knows about you and your littermate. Quite a piece of luck you got, being injured and all." _Yeah tell me about it. _The warrior sat down.

Swirl felt that this she-cat was friendly, though smart. Ivypool licked her paw. Frostpaw sat back down. She spoke. "I wanted to introduce Swirl but everyone seems to know her already." Ivypool nodded. Instead of answering to Frostpaw, she spoke directly to Swirl. "It's probably best if you just hang with the other apprentices; get to know them better." Swirl felt relieved. _Finally! Someone who talks to me, not for me! And what does she mean __**other **__apprentices? I'm not an apprentice._

Frostpaw sneezed. "You're right Ivypool. Bye!" She motioned to Swirl with her tail and sped off. Swirl rolled her eyes at Ivypool. "Bye Ivypool." The warrior dipped her head. "Bye Swirl." Swirl left.

Just before reaching the already familiar apprentice den, Swirl heard Lionblaze's and Jayfeather's voices. She looked around for them, the chilly breeze sending her fur flying. Below an overhanging branch of the fallen tree, Lionblaze and his brother were talking. Jayfeather was hunched down, his tail stiff, while Lionblaze was calm. He suddenly looked up and saw Swirl. He smiled and Swirl smiled back. He returned to the conversation. Swirl decided to take a chance and slipped into the shadow of the tree. The brothers didn't notice. Curiosity engulfed Swirl. She crept closer.

"…something about strange rain. I'll have to ask him." Swirl stopped short. _Rain? My sister? _Jayfeather continued. "That dream hasn't gone away. It's time." Swirl remembered. _The dream he had! Swirling Rain! _Swirl saw Jayfeather turned and walk to the highledge. After he disappeared inside, Swirl followed him, praying no one would see her. She stalked forward, up the steep slope. Her paw began to throb again, but she ignored it. Voices reached her ears.

"It will destroy the Clans!" _Jayfeather. _Swirl listened, her ears straining. Bramblestar spoke next.

"You said either destruction or peace. We don't know for sure that it will destroy, it could bring peace."

"Peace? _Peace?! _We are at peace now, the only thing left is destruction!"

"The sisters are young-"

"Swirl and Rain could bring harm to the Clan! To all the Clans!"

Swirl felt horror fill her. _The dream. Swirling Rain. It's us?! Me and Rain? _Swirl forced herself to listen again. Bramblestar spoke.

"They are not responsible for their destiny. You know that as well as any cat, Jayfeather." His voice held warning.

"Bramblestar… just think about my warning to _you_. Don't make any mistakes."

Swirl heard scuffling pawsteps and she immediately started to scramble madly down the hill. Once reaching the bottom, she glanced around for other watching cats. Upon seeing none, she half-ran, half-speed-walked to the medicine den. _Jayfeather mustn't know I heard him. He-_

Swirl ran into a wall of black fur. She looked up. _Oh no. Not now. _Robinpaw looked down at her, making her feel small, even though she was only a mouselength shorter. His face broke into a smirk. "Swirl. Fancy seeing you here. You're always hiding away in the medicine den." Swirl snarled and tried to step around him, but he only followed her movements, blocking her way. She snapped. "Leave me alone Robinpaw!" He didn't move. "But why? So you can hide your abnormal face so no one can see you?" She retaliated, fake smiling, her eyes seemingly innocent. "Funny. But I think you've got our faces mixed up. Might want to go clean that wound you've got on your ear." Robinpaw looked momentarily confused. "Wound? What wound?" Swirl lifted her paw, stretching it to his ear. "This one." She lashed out, her claws slicing through his ear, creating a long but shallow cut.

"OW!" Before Robinpaw could do anything, she swerved around him, running at full speed to the den, her heart racing in fear and excitement. _Ha! I showed him!_

Swirl trotted up to her nest, her tail held high in her little victory. She sat down, her face beaming in trumiph. Then she thought of something. _Oh great. What's he gonna do to me now?_

** Tada! Please, please, review! And please check out the new poll on my profile!**

** Thank you everybody!**

** Oh! One more thing: Whatcha think about Robin? Hahaha…**


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